Massachusetts business in brief

Libbey Parkway medical building sold in Weymouth; Red Robin burger joint opens at Patriot Place in Foxboro; Jacob Wirth restaurant will stay under new tower plan in Boston.

Libbey Parkway medical office building sold

WEYMOUTH – The 80,000-square-foot medical office building at 90 Libbey Industrial Parkway in Weymouth has been sold for $11.5 million.

Foxrock Properties, the Quincy investment firm managed by Granite Telecommunications CEO Robert Hale, bought the property from 90 Libbey Parkway LLC, an ownership group controlled by Hawthorne Ventures. The Conrad Group Inc. of Quincy negotiated the property’s sale in late June on behalf of the owner.

South Shore Sports Therapy recently signed a lease for 11,000 square feet in the building, and plans to move there in February 2009 after renovations to the space are complete. With the arrival of South Shore Sports Therapy, the building is 90 percent leased. Other tenants include South Shore Hospital, Brigham & Women’s Hospital and South Coast Dermatology.

The building, which is also known as 90 Libbey Parkway, is on 5-plus acres in the Libbey industrial park. Foxrock plans to make some interior and exterior improvements as soon as this fall.

Red Robin burger eatery opens at Patriot Place

FOXBORO – Red Robin Gourmet Burgers opened Monday as the first tenant in the lifestyle-center phase of the Patriot Place shopping center next to Gillette Stadium. The 226-seat restaurant will be open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. There will be more than 60 shops and restaurants in the lifestyle-center section.

Hub building next to Wirth’s to be offices, not hotel-condos

BOSTON – The new developers of the parking lot next to the Jacob Wirth restaurant on Stuart Street in Boston plan to build an office tower instead of the hotel and residential complex that had been planned for the site.

The Boston Business Journal reported that the new plans for the property will also save the historic Jacob Wirth restaurant and reduce the tower’s size by four levels to 24 stories.

Developer Eastat Realty Capital LLC, led by Eamon O’Marah, has an agreement to buy the land from FitzInn Parking Systems, which will keep its ownership of the restaurant next to the site.

O’Marah plans to build 250,000 square feet of office space, 2,000 square feet of retail space and 174 parking spaces at 45 Stuart St., the business newspaper reported. O’Marah said the project would cost $140 million to build. He expects ground to be broken next summer and the building to be ready for occupancy in February 2011.

Brockton transit authority to buy seven buses

BROCKTON – The Brockton Area Transit Authority is buying seven new buses with the help of a $816,000 federal transportation grant. The transit agency is looking to upgrade its fleet as it sees rapidly growing ridership at a time of high gas prices. The transit agency will buy three standard 44-passenger coaches and four 26-passenger buses. The smaller buses will likely be used to serve Brockton’s senior housing towers, Bridgewater State College and the Stoughton routes.

Norwell company’s N. Attleboro shopping center project done

NORWELL – Acella Construction Corp. recently finished a 22,000-square-foot addition to the North Attleboro Marketplace in North Attleboro. The Norwell construction company’s project will make room for two additional tenants at the shopping center, which is owned by Carpionato Properties Inc. of Johnston, R.I., and features several big-box tenants, including Lowe’s Home Improvement, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Bed Bath & Beyond.